Fifth-wheel construction.



c. c. KEESLER. FIFTH WHEEL CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. i917.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.A

E4 WY wn I WUI C. C. KEESLER.

FIFT-H WHEEL CONSTRUCTDON. AFPLlCATiON FILED FEB. 9. 1917 Patented B90111918.

2 `SHEETS-SHEET 2.

il@ Q Q5@ 0 i@ y o @if WT M sraaras maar CLYDE C. KEESLER, lOIE' CANASTOTA, NEW YORK, `.ASSIGNOIR TO WATSON WAGON COMPANY, OF CANASTOTA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

. FIFTHJWHEEL CONSTRUCTION.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Deaf?, 1918.

Application filed February 9, 1917. Serial No. 147,581,

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that I, CLYDE C. KnnsLaR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of, Canastota7 in thecounty of Madison and State of 'New York, have invented a certain new and useful Fifth-Wheel Construction, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to fifth wheel construction and has for its object a construction particularly applicable for connecting tractors to what are known as semi-trailers, which construction is particularly simple and economical and highly .efficient and durable in use, and the invention consists in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

1n describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of the rear end of a tractor and the front end of a semi-trailer provided with my invention. j

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rear end of the tractor frame showing the fifth wheel unit attached thereto.y

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 3--3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional, View, partly in elevation, on the plane of line 4 4, Fig. 2. l

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the upper fifth wheel section.

This fifth wheel construction. comprises generally a forwardly and rearwardly movable carriage, a fifth Wheel section pivotally mounted on the carriage on a transverse aXis, means for resisting the forward and rearward movement of the carriage,l and an upper section complemental to the lower section.

I have here shown my invention as applied to a tractor and a semi-trailer for which it is especially adapted, but obviously it may be used in other situations.

1 designates the tractor frame which includes side sills 2 and an end bar 3.

4 designates the semi-trailer, that is, a trailer which is supported at its rear end by ground wheels, and connected at its front end tothe tractor by the fifth wheel connection. v

5 designates the fifth wheel unit associated with the tractor, this unit being a frame T- shaped in general form, the leg of the T extending lengthwise of the tractor'frarne midway between the sills, and the head 6 of the 'lubeing rigidly secured at its ends to the si s. v

The leg of the T is secured at its end to the rear cross bar 3 of the tractor frame. As, here shown, the leg of the T is composed of two channel bars 7 arranged with their chan. nels facing outwardly and connected at ,theiry ends by braces S, 9, and intermediate of their end s by a similar .brace 10 which aots as' a spring abutment as hereinafter described.

11' is the forwardly and rearwardly movable carriage mounted on the bars 7 and slidable along the same, the carriage having slidlng interlocking engagement with the b'ars 7 so that the carriage cannot be unintentionally detached, and as here shown, the carriage is provided with flanges 12 engagmg the inner faces of the bars 7, horizontal flanges 13 which slide along the upper faces of the bars 7 and also with additional hori-v zontal detachable flanges 14 which engage the under faces of the bars and which are secured in position by bolts 15 extending vertically through the flanges 14 s and through the bosses 16 provided on the inner sides of the flanges 12. The flanges 12, 13, 114 fom lgrooves or ways which receive the oars 4.

' The carriage 11 is also provided withliorizontal bearings 17 located on the upper sides of the flanges 13 midway between the frontY i and rear ends of the carriage.

18 designates the lower fifth wheel' section which is formed with upwardly facing concentric bearing'faoes 19, 20, and' 21 arlranged in different planes and with a central vertical bearing 22, the face 19 being on the extreme upperside of the section 1S, the face 20 being depressed below the face 19 and the face 21 being preferably conical sol and extending from a bearing face 20 to the upper end of the vertical bearing 22. A vertical annular bearing face is located between the flat faces 19 and 20 and the conical bearing face 21 extends from the horizontal bearing face 20 to the vertical bearing 23 or 2l. on each side thereof arranged to come into alineinent with opposite ends of the contiguous bearing l? of the carriage 11,V and to receive a trunnion or spindle 25 y with the lower section 1S by a vertical movement upwardly. the section Q8 having faces coinpleinental to the bearing faces of the upper section 1S, it having downwardl;7 facing 'concentric bearing faces 30, 3l, 32, and the central stud 33 coiiipleniental to the faces 19, 20, and '2l and the bearing 22 of the lower fifth wheel section The vertical axis of the fifth wheel section intersects tlle rocking axis of the lower section.

Owing to the arrangement of the compleinental bearing faces ofthe fth wheel sections lS and.23, the stud 33 if it for anyv reason becomes dislodged from the bearing -22, will not move free 0f the lower section 1S, but will move up the coiioidal face 2l of the lower section and engage the vertical ane nular face of the lower fifth wheel section 18 which face is located between the hori Azontal faces 19 and 20.

34 is a draw and push bar extending rearwardl7 from the carriage ll and located. midway between the guide bars T and slidable in suitable passages in the brackets 8 and 10, this bar 34 having an eye or other 'means at its rear end for coupling to a trailer vto be `drawn in the usual manner when a seinitrailer is not attached to the tractor. I

The spring nieansfor resisting the forward and rearward movement of the cars riage 11 is associated with this` bar 3ft. As here shown two springs 36 are employed. The spring 35 is located between the front side of the bracket or abutmentl l0 and the carriage ll in order to resist'rearward movejinent of the carriage, and the spring 36 is interposed between the rear side of the abut-A nient l0 and the collar 37 fixed on the rod 3i, the spring 36" resisting` forward movement of the carriage ll.

vThe bar 3i is suitably attached to the carriage andas here shown it threads at .its front end at 3S in a split bearing39 which isclaniped onto the threaded end 3S by a holte() and which is secured to the carriage by means of bolts ell.

This fifth wheel construction is particu-h larly iadvantageousin that it. can be readily applied ,to the tractor frames landin thatl owing to its pivotal movement the tractor frame canl have relative up and down rocl ing movement relatively t0 the trailer as Awhen the tractor and trailer are moving over uneven ground or onafgraddand fury the-rii'iore the construction vis particularly advantageous in thata draw and push bar is united with the fifth wheel construction.

lVhat l claim is: l

l. A fifth wheel construction comprising a guide, 'a carriage movable along the guide7 a fifth wheel section mounted on the carriage, a draw and push bar connected yto the carriage and extending lengthwise of the guide, a stationary abutment throughv which'said bar slides, collarl on the bar and opposed to the abutment, a spring interposed between one side of the abutment and the collar, and a spring interposed between the collar 'andthe other sideof the'abutment, substantiall;7 as and for the purpose set forth.

A fifth wheelV construction comprising a' guide including parallelbars, a carriage mountedv on and slidable along the bars7 a fifth wheel section mounted on the carriage, an abutment extending from one of the bars to the other, a draw and push bar extending midway7 between. the guide bars, and through the abutment and being connected at one end to the carriage, a spring inter# posed between one side of theV abutment and the carriage, a 'collar mounted on the draw and push bar on the opposite side of the abutment. and a second spring interposed between the collar and said abutment7 sub`r stantiallv as andfor the purpose described. 3. The combination with a tractorfranie', including side sills and an end member7 of a fifth wheel section including a T-shaped frame inciuding lengthwise guide bars par# allel to the side sills of the tractor frame,

and the opposite ends Vof the head of the Tf being secured to the side sills and the foot of the 'l' shaped frame being secured to the end bar of the framea carriage movable along the guide bars, a fifth wheel section mounted on the carriage,` and springvmeans for resisting sliding movement of the carriage, substantialbT as and for the purpose forth.

A fifthvwheel construction comprising a guide, a carriage movable along the guide, a fifth wheel section vmounted on the car-v riage, a draw bar extending lengthwise of the guide and connected to the carriage, and a spring arranged to resist movement of the carriage by the draw bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. A fifth wheel construction comprising a lguide including parallel bars, a carriage slidable along the bars,` and having bearings thereon, a fifth wheel section pivotally mounted on the carriage to rock about a transverse axis, the pivotal bearings of the fifth wheel section and the carriage being located directly over said guide members and said bearings of the carriage extending to the front of and to the rear of the transverse pivotal axis of the fifth wheel section thereby providing a. wide bearing surface for thecarriage on the guide, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

7. A fifth wheel construction comprising a pair of parallel guidev bars, 'a carriage slidable along the bars and slidably interlocking therewith whereby the carriage is held from detachment from the bars, the carriage being formed with transverse horizontal bearings, and a lifth wheel section having spindles journaled in the horizontal bearings, a draw and push bar extending lengthwise of the guide bars between the same, and spring means arranged to resist movement of the'carriage in opposite directions, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. A fifth wheel construction comprising upper and lower sections, the lower section being formed with annular vertical bearing faces of different diameters, the upper bearing face being of greater diameter than the lower. vertical face, the upper section also^ having vertical bearing faces of different v diameters complemental to the vertical bearing faces of the lower section, substantially as and for the purpose'described.

9. A fifth wheel construction comprising 40 upper and lower sections, the lower section being formed with upwardly facing bearing faces arranged in di'erent planes and with a central opening, and the upper section being formed with downwardly extending faces and a central depending stud complemental to the bearing faces and `opening of the lower section, and the lower section being pivotally mounted on a transverse axis intersecting the vertical axis" of the fifth wheel, substantially as and for the purpose described.I

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, inthe county of Onondaga, and State of New York, this 15th day of December, 1916.

' `ciivniic. KEEsLnR. 

